How to Throw an Extended Weekend Bachelorette Party

Many brides find themselves in charge of their bachelorette party planning experience or chiming in with their thoughts. It’s one thing to host a dinner with all of your favorite people, but what if you want to turn your party into a vacation? This guide explains how to throw an extended weekend bachelorette party that leaves everyone with incredible memories.

1. Pick a Venue

You’ll need to pick a venue early in your bachelorette party planning process. Your guests will need to know where to meet. Consider whether you’d love to host everyone in your home or meet them in a dreamy travel destination.

Making that choice is much easier after browsing popular party destinations like Miami or Nashville. Pick a place that you’d love to see. This is your chance to create a trip that’s worthy of your travel bucket list.

2. Finalize Your Guest List

After deciding where you’ll host your extended weekend bachelorette party, it’s time to make your guest list. Write names for every person you hope can come. Send the invitations and wait for their RSVP cards. You’ll end up with a finalized guest list that makes it easier to plan every detail of your big trip.

3. Start With a Welcome Party

No matter where your party happens, it’s always a good idea to welcome everyone upon their arrival. Throw a mini welcome party after everyone gets to your venue by hosting dinner at home or going out on the town.

Maybe you’d love to have a board game night in your rental beach house, visit a new restaurant in town, or stargaze with glasses of wine and a bonfire. You could even enjoy a DIY spa night that improves everyone’s mental health by releasing your stress. Doing an activity together will break any tension between guests who don’t know each other and start your weekend in a positive frame of mind.

4. Look for Local Activities

There are always things to do around town. Beach cities have rental bikes for boardwalk rides. A mountain cabin will likely be near hiking trails or spelunking tours. Your hometown will also have things to do, like a pottery or painting class.

Plan an itinerary for each day of your party with activities like these. Daily itineraries will help you spend your time wisely and coordinate things like outfits, shoes, and accessories.

5. Schedule Your Pictures

You likely have a photographer in mind for your wedding, so why not invite them to your bachelorette party? Even if you hire a local photographer at your party destination, you’ll capture the best moments by hiring someone to snap pictures. They could meet you at your daily activities or for a single shoot, depending on your trip and what you want to do while you’re there.

6. Figure Your Meals Out

As you read about how to throw an extended weekend bachelorette party, remember to ask every guest about their dietary preferences or allergies. You’ll plan your meals much more easily and ensure no one will feel left out of your dining experiences.

Your guests will give their answers and determine whether you need to personalize your meals by making them at home. Maybe you’ll only select restaurants with gluten-free menus or vegetarian options. It’s much easier to plan the meals for your weekend once you know what your guests can and cannot eat.

7. Remember Your Props

What’s a bachelorette party without fun picture props? Have fun researching various things like customized koozies, monogrammed sunglasses, matching swimsuits, and more. You may want to wear sashes while exploring the city’s nightlife scene or matching baseball caps for your mountainside hikes. They’ll make your pictures more fun because they’re a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

8. Include Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Bachelorette parties have infamous reputations. They’re opportunities to explore a new city and try different drinks all night long, but some of your guests may not want hard beverages. They could prefer to skip the alcohol entirely or opt for a soda for the night.

No matter their reason, your guests deserve a non-alcoholic menu no matter where you decide to dine. If you want to spend all of your time at home or in your rental house, stock up on sodas and create mocktails of your themed drinks and other alcohol-free beverages after everyone arrives. No one will feel awkward because they won’t have to hang out without a beverage in their hand.

9. Make Thank-You Gifts

Thank-you gifts are touching ways to show everyone your appreciation at the end of a great weekend. When it’s time to go home, hand out each bag or box. You can get everyone the same gift, but monogram their names on each present. It depends on what you think they’d like.

You can also mail thank-you cards to your guests if your budget is tight. It’s always sweet to read why someone loves you and had a great time when you last hung out. Take your time writing each note and they’ll quickly become your friends’ most prized possessions.

10. Plan Your Goodbye

It would feel awkward if you attended a party and the host left without saying goodbye. Don’t let your bachelorette party end without thanking everyone in attendance.

Plan one last activity to keep your guests from feeling sad or forgotten. You could make a brunch reservation, tour a historical site, or meet at a spot next to the airport. Sharing a meal or one last experience will bring your weekend to a close by making one last memory together.

Throw a Great Bachelorette Party

Your bachelorette party is an exciting, often once-in-a-lifetime experience. Why limit it to just one day? Instead, go all out with a weekend full of festivities. Pick your venue, finalize your guest list, and fill your itinerary with all kinds of activities. You’ll fill your time with fun things to do and plenty of great food, which is all you need to celebrate your upcoming marriage with your favorite people.